Transmission mechanism



' l 645 841 Oct" 1849271'- J. B. WW1-Low v TRANSMISSION lffEcHANIsM ,4

Filed Jily 22, 1927 2 Sheets-511861: v\` .ql

nventqr Attorney oct. 18,1927. 1,645,841

J. B. 'WHITLOW TRANSMISSION MECHANISM Filed July 22, 1927 2 sheets-sheet 2 hama oa. 18.1921..- y

i UNITED STATES .A y1,645,841 PATENT orsi-CE.

JOHN B. WHITLOW, l LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

l TRANBIISBION IICHANISI.

' Application lied July $8, 1987. Serial le. $07,718.

The ypresent invention relates to a transmission mechanism designed for use on automobiles and the like and aims to provide a structure which eliminates the necessity of the use of a clutch and also eliminates the necessity of the use of agear shifting mechanism. i

A still further very important object of the invention lies in the rovision of a transmission mechanism of t is nature which is simple in its construction, compact, inex n-`l sive to manufacture, elicient and reliab e in operation, and otherwise well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed.

With the above and-numerous other objects in view as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described.

and claimed.

In the drawing: 4

Fi rey 1 is a top plan view of an automobi e chassis showing my .improved structure dis osed between the internal combustion engine and the drive shaft,

Figure 2 is a sectional view through the mechanism, .i

Figure 3 is a.. sectiona1 view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, lookingho the left.

ferring to the drawing in detail it will be seen that the numeral 5 denotes an internal combustion engine havin a crank shaft 6 'operating a flywheel 7. he numeral 8 denotes the automobile drive l'shaft which in the present instance is hereinafter referred to as the driven shaft to distinguish it from the engine or ower shaft 6 which will be referred to as t e drive shaft.

i The flywheel is formed with a flange structure 9 having beveled gears or pinions 10 )'ournaled on stub axles 11 projecting Yinwardly from the flange 9. The driven shaft 8 is 'ournaled in the flywheel as at 12 coaxia y therewith. The beveled gear 13 1s lixed to the driven shaft within the ilange of the flywheel and meshes with pinions 10. A beveled gear 14 is rotatable on the shaft 8 within the flange 9 and meshes with the pinions 10. A cross member 1'5 su ports the bearing 16 through which the sha 8 is journaled. A portion of this bearing has a circular perip eryv 17 eccentric to the axis of the shaft 8. A'ring 18 is rotatable about the eccentric annular periphery 17. A plurality the pendulums 19.A Rods 22 are engaged on rods 21. The rods 22 have sectional rings to engage about the ring 18.-

From the above detailed description it will be seen that when the shaft 6 is rotatin slowlyycausing the rotation of the flywheel 7 the pinions 10 will move about in a circular orbit and ride about the gear 13 caus- 1ng the gear 14 to rotate. The rotation of the ar 14 will cause the oscillation on the pen ulums 19 because of the rotation of the ring 18 about the eccentrically disposed annular periphery 17. As is well known, an ordinary. pendulum may be swung with little eif'ort through a predetermined arc at a c rtain rate o oscillation but to increase t e speed of the oscillation through the same arc t e power must be increased m'anyfold. Bear this principle in mind it will be seen that w en the flywheel 7 increases its speed there is a great resistance set up to the faster oscillation of pendulums 19 so as to retard the speed of the gear 14. The retarding of the speed of the gear 14 will cause the rotation of the gear 13 and the shaft 18 throu h the movement of the pinion 10 in the circular orbitv previously described as they will ride about the gear 14 and therefore must impart rotary motion to the gear 13 and the shaft 8. p

In this manner it will be seen that there is no necessity of a clutch in the use of an internal combustion engine in driving an automobile or under like circumstances and there is also no need of gear shifting mecha- -nism as the less resistance which will be ofvin this art without a more detailed description thereof. The present embodiment of the invention `has been disclosed in detail merel b way of exam le since in actual practice 1t attains the eatures of advantage enumerated as desirable inthe statement of the invention and the above descri tion. It will be apparent that changesV in leo lll

the details of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sco e of the invention as hereinafter claim or sacrificing any of its advanta es.

Having thus descrlbed my invention, W at I claim as new is:

In combination, a drive shaft, a driven shaft, a flywheel on the drive shaft havingr a flange, a plurality of pinions, means for mounting the pinions 1n the flange, said driven shaft having one end journaled in the ywheel coaxially therewith, a gear on the driven shaft meshing with the pinions, a seoond gear on the driven shaft meshing with the pinions, the first gear being fixed to the driven shaftl and the second gear rotatable thereon, an annulus mounted eccentrieally to the axis of the driven shaft, a ring rotatable about the annulus, a plurality of pendulums rockably mounted on the second gear, oonnecting rods between the pendulums land the ring.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN B. WHITLOW. 

